Today I killed a rabbit that never should have been allowed to live past 6-8 weeks of age. It's a rabbit that the breeder of it should have made the best, albeit a difficult, decision to simply euthanize.
This poor rabbit had upper teeth curling in, lower teeth pushing her upper jaw up. the teeth that sit just behind the front teeth were twisted and thick. She was Skin and bone. Given by a rabbit knowledgeable vet to a soft-hearted rabbit rescue person who called and asked for my opinion.
It took ALL I had when I was there NOT to show my extreme anger at the vet for not simply euthanizing this animal. The VET should know better. Like really should have known better but instead they pass the problem along to someone else? Someone who if she'd didn't have me to turn to would be stuck with a vet bill to euthanize at a later date. (and the really skeptical angry part of me wonders if the bottom line was really what that decision was all about).
Folks: if you breed rabbits and those kits turn out to have bad teeth. Do the right thing.. KILL THEM. Turn them into dog/cat/snake/ferret food. Don't consign them to a life of teeth trims once a month and slow starvation. JUST DON"T DO IT!
Do not let them live out a live of starvation for three weeks, eat for one week. Starve again for three weeks, eat for one week. As the recommendation from the vets is to trim teeth once a month.
This poor rabbit had one more week to go before a tooth trim and she couldn't eat! It burns me up. How is allowing that not harming the animal? How is it "better" to let an animal starve and become skin and bone than to simply end it's life? HOW?
Do know that I wrote this late at night, after I culled this poor unfortunate animal, and not after having a good nights sleep. I know my morning that MOST of my anger will have passed. But you know what? Sometimes being REALLY angry is not a bad thing. People SHOULD NOT do this to an animal. They simply shouldn't.
in the morning I'll be more rational probably and think well.. perhaps the breeder didn't know any better or perhaps the vet clinic has a no kill policy or perhaps ......
The end result was a poor animal who was basically left to starve because of her teeth and I can't for the life of me see how letting her live was the "better" option to simple euthanasia. I just can't see it. There had to be a better way than foisting her on a rabbit rescue who then had to make a very very difficult decision to ask for help and then to make a even more difficult decision to simply let her go. There just has to be....